This is the time of year we turn to Wyscout and start trying to suggest random players Lincoln City might sign.
With no matches to cover, and viewers still to attract, the honesty shout is it’s to get people reading. Even those who just do it on Twitter are trying to get engagement. I think for me, there is also an element of the old Champ Man addiction (yeah, I’m that old), trawling through players. If I’d put as much time into my job as I did looking through lists of footballers in 1999, I might not have been sacked by McKechnie Plastic Components. Still, would I have known that Tommy Svindal Larsen played for Staebak without all that hard work? No.
I don’t play Football Manager now, but I apply the skills Championship Manager (Champ Man to those over 40) taught me to articles for you to read. Tomorrow, you’re going to get a piece on African talent in obscure European leagues that I think could be targets for Championship clubs, which includes us. It’s all speculation, but if you didn’t enjoy them, they wouldn’t get so many views.
Two years ago, I did an article on Scandinavian players, I thought it would be interesting to go back and see if those players did actually achieve anything. I don’t know even as I write this introduction. What I would say is most people shout about their wins, but we’re happy to peel back the veneer of ‘look at what we know’ and suggest that maybe, none of us are really any wiser, we just have more time to look at players!
Andreas Bredahl, Vejle
Bredahl was a former Denmark Under-17 international playing for Vejle at the time, although he had recently spent time on loan with Nykøbing in the Danish second tier. The attraction was largely his versatility across the front line. He could operate centrally or on either flank, which felt like the sort of profile City were beginning to value more highly.
The feeling then was that he looked raw, but intriguing. He liked carrying the ball, running directly at defenders and taking responsibility in attacking areas. His output through the middle was not especially strong, but there was a sense he might eventually develop into a wider forward rather than an out-and-out striker.
Where is he now?
He’s 23, and is in the Danish second division playing for Fremad Amager. He trialled with B.93 after Vejle terminated his deal, and after just seven appearances in a year-and-a-half, he moved to Englene where he has three goals and an assist in his 650 minutes this season.
Zean Dalügge, Vendsyssel
Dalügge was with Danish second-tier side Vendsyssel, having also spent time on loan in the Faroe Islands. The reason he stood out was partly due to his background. He had once been close to joining Genoa before injury disrupted the move, suggesting there was underlying talent that perhaps had gone under the radar.
At the time, his physical profile and output made him interesting. He was a 6ft 1in striker averaging around three shots per game and scoring regularly during his loan spell. His aerial numbers were also strong, which appeared to fit City’s more direct elements under Michael Skubala and Jez George.
Where is he now?
Greece, and the second tier at that. He was in the Swedish top flight, leaving Vendsyssel for Trelleborgs, but he scored just four goals for them, before a move to AO Egaleo in February. So far, he has one assist in four outings, but has not impressed at all.
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